President Buhari not against true federalism

President Muhammadu Buhari is not opposed to restructuring of the country to reflect true federalism, it was learnt yesterday.

This position was contained in a document entitled: “Buhari/Osinbajo 2019 – A Basic Guide – The Campaign Manual in Brief” circulated during the Next Level 2019 Buhari/Osinbajo presentation at the old Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.

The Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation (MBCO) was presenting facts as against what it describes as fiction about Buhari’s administration not believing in restructuring.

“The President has never indicated he would oppose any move by the National Assembly to carry out constitutional amendments to fully reflect true federalism,” it stated.

It also claimed that President Buhari was not “cunning” and “deceitful” like some other candidate, apparently referring to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

The document reads: “The President himself is not a cunning and deceitful character like some other candidate, who knows he does not have the powers to single-handedly restructure the country through constitutional amendments and would engage in giving a time-frame within which the country would be restructured.”

Atiku had recently promised to restructure the country within six months of assuming office as President.

Towards restructuring the country, the document recalled that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2017 set up a committee headed by Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, which submitted a report with far reaching recommendations.

It also pointed out that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in all his public outings throughout the years, has advocated restructuring and true federalism.

The document also devoted a section to the 16 years “misrule” of the PDP and Atiku’s alleged corrupt practices.

It gave reasons why Nigerians sent PDP packing in 2015 and how nothing has changed, and listed some of the allegations against former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

The document reads: “As President and Vice President, President Obasanjo and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar granted themselves university licences and were building their universities whilst ASUU was on strike severally at that period.

“In the same vein, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar co-founded Intels in 1982 in clear breach of the code of conduct for public officers.”

The document also highlighted the sins of PDP to include political assassinations/unresolved murders, executive lawlessness, electoral malpractices, illegal seizure of Lagos funds, disastrous privatisation programme.

It also denied allegations that President Buhari was condoning corruption and spearheading a one-sided anti-graft war.

The document also denied allegation that President Buhari does not abide by the rule of law or disobeying court orders.

It also said that Buhari’s actions or inactions could not have caused the farmers/herders crises as it preceded his administration.